NITA Launches and Picks Tom Kotarac to Lead Reorganized Chicago-Area Transit

New $1.5 billion in yearly funding is meant to stabilize agency finances as NITA standardizes fares and coordinates service regionwide.

Overview

The Northern Illinois Transit Authority formally began operations Thursday and its 20-member board unanimously elected Tom Kotarac as chair.
State lawmakers provided roughly $1.5 billion a year for transit, funded by a 0.25% regional sales-tax increase and a shift of most motor-fuel sales-tax revenue to transit.
The law gives NITA new authority to plan service and set fares for CTA, Metra and Pace and requires a unified fare and ticketing system by February 2030.
Initial funding has paid for security upgrades and some restored routes, and the board is preparing to hire an executive director and vote on expanding low-income reduced fares and year-round student passes.
Key next steps include a June board vote on whether to create a regional transit police department, deployment of trained 'transit ambassadors' by July 2027, and a move to electric buses with new land-development powers to promote transit-oriented growth.